The hum grew steadily louder, vibrating faintly up through the floorboards, and I watched Garrick’s hands go still over the case’s second latch, every instinct in him visibly warring between finishing what he’d started and slamming the lid shut before it was too late.
“Don’t,” Odile said sharply. “Not yet. If that’s a transmitter, opening it fully broadcasts our exact location, tonight, before we’ve decided anything about how to use it.”
“If I don’t finish opening it, we don’t know what’s inside, and we hand Priya an empty case to bring to that bridge.” Garrick’s voice stayed low, controlled, though sweat had beaded at his temple. “Ronan, I need a decision. Now.”
Ronan crossed the room in three strides, crouching beside the case with the same focused stillness I’d watched him bring to e
